Technical footwear drives Portuguese industry in foreign markets

Technical footwear is emerging as a key driver of Portugal’s footwear exports. This has helped the industry to maintain growth in 2025, despite a downturn affecting several major producing countries.

In 2025, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), it was technical footwear that drove the Portuguese industry’s performance in external markets.

While exports of leather footwear recorded a modest growth of 0.2%, reaching 1.413 billion euros, footwear with technical features increased by 14.5% to 213 million euros. In 2025, notable highlights included a 25% increase in the “Other plastic footwear” segment and 6.6% growth in the “Footwear with textile uppers” segment. Safety footwear also rose by 14.1%.

In practical terms, Portugal exported around 68 million pairs of footwear last year, worth approximately 1.718 billion euros, representing growth of 0.8% as compared to the previous year. This performance is particularly significant at a time when major competitors are facing declines in production and exports. In 2025, export drops of over 10% were recorded in countries such as China (-11%) and Turkey (-13%), along with declines in key players such as Brazil (-2%), Spain (-3%), Italy (-1%), and Mexico.

“The Portuguese footwear industry has once again demonstrated resilience in a particularly demanding international context, countering the downward trend observed in several producing countries”, said Luís Onofre. According to the President of APICCAPS, “the ability to diversify the offer and adapt to international preferences confirms the strategic maturity of the Portuguese cluster”.

“In a global context of uncertainty, the sector shows that innovation in materials and production flexibility are decisive factors in ensuring competitiveness and sustained growth”, he concluded.

Source: WorldFootwear